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Two out of five identity theft victims surveyed by the Identity Theft Assistance Center (ITAC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting identity theft through victim assistance, research and law enforcem

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

ent partnerships) know how their personal data was stolen. This knowledge provides valuable insight about how identity theft occurs.

When ITAC surveyed 275 identity theft victims who used the ITAC's free serv

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

ice over a one-month period, 160 consumers (58%) did not know the source of their identity theft. Another 115 consumers (42%) did know how their information was compromised. These 115 consumers attributed thei

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

identity theft to the following sources:

* Friends, relatives, in-home employees - 26 cases, or 22.61%

* Computer hacker/virus/phishing - 25 cases, or 21.74%

* Mail (stolen or fraudulent address c

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

hange) - 24 cases, or 20.87%

* Lost/stolen wallet, checkbook or credit card - 15 cases, or 13.04%

* Corrupt business or employee - 12 cases, or 10.43%

* Data breach - 8 cases, or 6.96%

*

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

House burglarized - 4 cases, or 3.48%

* Instant credit - 1 case, or 0.87%

Getting accurate information about the sources of identity theft is difficult because identity theft - the opening of a fraudul

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

nt new account or account takeover - is often confused with other types of fraud, like the unauthorized use of a credit card.

Nevertheless, it is up to each of us to be on guard against the possibility that o

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

ur documents, or worst yet, our computers, could be compromised. Sometimes it may seem like a losing battle, but they are some steps we can take to prevent becoming the next victim. Here are some precautions:

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

* Do not keep your Social Security card in your wallet.

* If your Social Security number is on your driver's license, remove it. (In some states it is now illegal for a driver's license to be issued with a S

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

cial Security number.)

* When shredding important papers, make sure you use a cross-cut. "If it is shredded in strips and not cross-cut, I can put it down right in front of me and put it back together and the

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

re you have it," says "John", who uses his skills as a computer defense specialist to protect you, and is skilled in the ways of hackers and thieves and can ruin your credit and your life.

* "Don't use wirele

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

ss for anything that you would not want put in a public newspaper. Though it's a nice convenience, your information is basically floating in mid-air. I could be two blocks away with a high-powered antenna pick

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

ng up his information."

* The key is defense in depth or layers: Anti-virus, computer patches, and firewalls, and most importantly, updating them once a week. There are types of protection for wireless but th

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

ey can be hacked in as little as twenty minutes.

Because cybercriminals are becoming smarter and more sophisticated in their operations, they are real threats to your personal security and privacy. Your money

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

, your computer, your family, and your business are all at risk.

To protect yourself, you need an Internet security team of experts making sure that you, your family, and your business computer are always saf

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

and secure. The best protection you can have in today's rapidly changing world of cyber-attacks is to have expert support for all your Internet security needs that will provide technical support without any h

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

assles and without charging you extra fees. It will become even more critical than it is today as time goes on. You need to find your own personal team of experts to rely on. If you ever have a security proble

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

m, you will want to have a trusted expert you can call for professional help, without any hassles and extra costs!

These cybercriminals leave you with three choices :

1. Do nothing and hope their atta

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

ks, risks, and threats don’t occur on your computer.

2. Do research and get training to protect yourself, your family, and your business.

3. Get professional help to lockdown your system from all their attac

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

ks, risks, and threats.

Remember: When you say "No!" to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don't, we all lose!

© MMVII, Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, The Internet Safety Advocate and Educator

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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